Project Sipster finishes with an 84 mpg VW Golf
We have been following Top Gear America's Project Sipster for a while. The team's project was to install a modern ciesel engine from a VW Jetta TDI into a 28-year-old VW Golf and make the car go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 7 seconds but also able to achieve 70 mpg. Oh, and do it for less than $7,000. The team is done, and they're happy to report that Project Sipster's mission was accomplished. In fact, the car exceeded expectations, averaging 84 mpg on a 70-mile trip.
Fitting the engine was accomplished by CWS Tuning mechanic Cam Waugh. Initial fuel savings were also achieved by reprogramming the engine's ECU. However, when it came time to boost the aerodynamic efficiency to help reach the 70mpg goal, the team resorted to sorts of tricks: custom fitting a Series 2 front fender, rounding it with expandable foam, bolting a sheet of plywood under the car, using and rolls and rolls of duct tape to smooth the car's surface. A project for everyone? No, but if it works ...
Gallery: Top Gear America Project Sipster
[Source: Top Gear America]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick 7:43PM (4/06/2009)
How much does a Jetta engine cost?
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Jeremy 7:59PM (4/08/2009)
Don't you mean diesel. Not ciesel engine.
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Hank 9:46PM (4/06/2009)
Rabbit, not Golf in the US in 1974...just as the Top Gear site correctly states.
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why not the LS2LS7? 9:47PM (4/06/2009)
I'm certain a Prius could smash their hypermiling record.
There's a guy who gets 100mpg in an Insight. A person who teaches hypermiling lessons asserts a family with a Prius can learn in a single lesson how to get 70-80mpg.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/05/21/hypermilers/
What does this car actually get when driven normally?
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Jesse 11:17PM (4/06/2009)
"What does this car actually get when driven normally?"
Probably better mpg’s than the Prius.
Killroy 5:28PM (4/08/2009)
A cleaner stock $8k Honda Insight gets 70 mpg gas which is about the same as 84 mpg diesel because diesel is more carbon and energy dense.
That is a fast 0-60. I bet there is a lot of weight reduction and a space interior.
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Yikes 9:06AM (4/07/2009)
Funny you should mention the Insight. Those wheels on the rear of that look like they came from the CRX (the insights older sib).
Mike 12:08AM (4/07/2009)
. . . and it only cost 7k!
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phil 12:20AM (4/07/2009)
"We have been following Top Gear America's Project Sipster for a while. The team's project was to install a modern ciesel engine from a VW Jetta TDI........ "
I didnt know we had new "ciesel" engines out....
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Yikes 9:03AM (4/07/2009)
I noticed that too.
Tell us about this modern ciesel engine.
Snowdog 7:53AM (4/07/2009)
Amusing. But after watching all the videos
7K Price:
This is parts only. The car itself was free! There is over a couple hundred hours of labor not counted. In the engine swap segment they say: 168 hours later... 168hours * $60/hr = $10 000. Real price for someone who isn't swapping publicity for labor is likely well over $20k.
7second:
They didn't get close until they revved the hell out of it (4000 rpm in a Diesel) and popped the clutch in second gear (to save a shift). I could probably do that in my econobox too, if I wanted to heap this kind of abuse on it.
70 mpg:
They had taped on aero flaps over the wheels and belly plate. EPA numbers might be interesting, but they were hyper miling as much as they could. They were disappointed there weren't big rigs around that they could draft!
Emissions:
Look at the final video where they a doing a fast take off. A black cloud pours out the back... Nuff said.
Basically this is a typical Top Gear entertainment segment with no real world applicability.
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